I Can Run The Distance
by Hyperteenager24
Summary: Wallace, aka Wally, the son of nymphs and nephew of Hermes, was snatched as a baby and forced to live among mortals. Now a teenager, he needs to perform a rite of passage to prove his worth, all whilst solving the mystery of another stolen baby.
1. Chapter 1

"Wally!" The nymph, Penlopeia giggled as her nephew grabbed at her hair, "Behave yourself!"

Hermes couldn't help but smile fondly at the sight… although the smile was tinged with some sadness. Wally's parents had unfortunately been simple nymphs, who were killed off in yet another mortal war, hence his presence on Mount Olympus

"Look how small he is." He whispered, wriggling his fingers in front of the baby's face, watching as Wally practically crossed his eyes trying to focus on them.

"One side people! One side!"

The pair turned, watching as Zeus charged towards them, a smile on his face, his usual S on his chest. It was no surprise that he was late to be honest, what with his alternate persona on Earth.

Superman was always needed.

Penlopeia, otherwise known as Iris, beamed at him, eyes widening at the bouquet of flowers that the King of the Gods seemed to produce from out of nowhere. "Oh, they're lovely."

"I'm glad you like them, I had Orphius do the arrangement, isn't that just nutty?"

Nobody wanted to point out that no-one ever says the word 'nutty' anymore, as Zeus made his way over to Hermes, "Isn't this a great party? I don't think there's ever been so much love in a room since Lex discovered himself."

Lex, the Prince Consort or 'Queen' of the Gods, rolled his eyes at his husbands teasing, lightly slapping him on the arm, before moving to speak to the others.

As everyone was distracted, Wally, leaned over and tried to grab the lightening bolts/Wings that were attached to his Uncle's helmets.

"Do you want to wear your Uncle's special hat?"

Hermes rolled his eyes, not rising to the teasing of his wife, "Don't encourage him. I have no idea what this thing will do on a child's head."

Clearing his throat, he turned to the rest of the Gods, "On behalf of my nephew, I would like to thank you all for your wonderful gifts!"

He gestured at the large pile of toys and clothes, as Penlopeia nudged him into the side, "What about our gift?"

"I thought you'd never ask…." Hermes pulled a smaller version of his hat out of nowhere, "…I was thinking that… maybe he can be my heir? Take over when he's ready?" At Iris's silence, he continued, "This will give him the exact same powers as me and- "

"- and he'll love it when he's ready." Iris smiled gently at her husband, handing Wally over, "Mind his head dear."

"… He's so tiny."

Wally was clearly thrilled to be in his Uncle's arms, reaching up to try and grab the wings attached to Hermes's helmet, before playing with the pendant attached to his nightshirt. After a couple minutes of contented silence, Wally eventually yawned.

Placing his nephew back in his bed, Hermes smiled, "Good night, my little speedster."

"Can Olympus really deal with another one of you?"

Everyone turned to the entrance, spotted a familiar figure lurking in the darkness.

"Hades!" Zeus cheered, quickly making his way over, "I thought you'd never get here! How are things in the Underworld?"

"Don't call Gotham the Underworld…" Hades sighed, "… it gives people the wrong idea."

"Sorry." Zeus clearly wasn't sorry, "And how's- "

Before he could finish the sentence, Hades moved his dark cloak to one side, to reveal a baby in a harness, big blue eyes peering out at them.

"He's fine." Hades muttered shortly, scowling as the other gods cooed at the second baby, "We have a present for Wallace."

As he moved to give the present to Wallace, the baby attached to him suddenly started to wriggle furiously, refusing to stop even as Hades lifted him out of the sling and into his arms.

"Try putting him in the crib."

Hades hesitated for a few moments, before doing as Iris said and placing the baby in the crib with Wallace. The two babies stared at each other for a few moments, before bursting out into giggles and reaching out for one another, tiny hands patting each other's faces.

It was a happy scene, but it wouldn't have been so joyous had anyone known what was happening behind the scenes.

….

Everyone has heard the myth of Hades and Persephone.

God kidnaps Goddess and manipulates her into staying in the Underworld for six months of the year.

Nobody knew the truth.

Persephone was sweet at first, having wandered down to the Underworld by her own free will, but she soon grew bitter and angry.

Hades didn't love her, not in the way she wanted.

Instead of giving her a child of her own, Hades insisted on grabbing any orphaned nymph who happened to come his way.

It annoyed her… and if there's one God you don't want to get steamed up, it's Persephone.

Because she had an evil plan.

As her love mingled the rest of the goody-two shoes up on Olympus, Persephone, still dressed in her 'Talia' clothes, had a meeting of her own, closely accompanied by her sister, Nyssa and her sister's…. close companion, Ta-er al-Sahfer.

"Darling…" the group heard another female voice croon, as they entered the ornate meeting room, "… hold that mortal's thread of life, nice and tight."

With a snip of the scissors, the thread was cut, and a scream echoed throughout the room.

"INCOMING!" another female voice cried out as a ghostly figure appeared in the room, screamed, before disappearing, probably reappearing in the Underworld where Alfred would be there to greet them.

The sound and sight were un-nerving, but Persephone was unbothered, making her way over to the fates.

"Ah, I see I'm just in time." Persephone smirked, "Good, then we can get down to business."

The women all glanced at one another, huddling up to one another.

"So, as you know, Hermes and his little nymph have decided to adopt a baby of their own, and I want to know whether or not this child is going to get in the way of everything?"

Silence.

Persephone sighed, "Ladies, I don't want to do something drastic." She clicked her fingers, and Nyssa and Ta-er al-Sahfer snapped to attention, "But I will."

"B-But we're not supposed to reveal the future!"

Nyssa and Ta-er-al-Sahfer both tensed and the Fates shrank back in fear.

"Well… maybe just a little." The tallest whispered, pulling their lone eye out of her socket. With a simple word, the eye started to rise into the air, turning into a white, glowing orb

"In 18 years precisely, the planets will align ever so nicely."

Persephone rolled her eyes, "Verse? Really?"

"The time to act will be at hand. Unleash the Titans, your monstrous band!"

"Mmm-hmm."

"Then the once-proud Zeus will finally fall… And you, Persephone, will rule all!"

A victorious smile appeared on her face, but before she could crow in victory, one of the Fates held up a finger, "But a word of caution to this tale..."

"I beg your pardon?"

"… Should the Heir of Hermes fight, you will fail."

Taking advantage of Persephone's shock, the three Fates all cackled and vanished into thin air, the white orb quickly following on behind, disappearing with a pop.

"WHAAAAT?!" Persephone bellowed, darkness encompassing the entire room, before she quickly calmed down and took several deep breaths, "… Fine. That's fine!"

She stormed over to the doors that led further into the Underworld, closely followed by the other two women.

"So Nyssa…" Talia smirked, "… I have a little riddle for you. How do you kill an Immortal?"

Before Nyssa could answer, Ta-er-al-Sahfer piped up. "You can't. The clue is in the name."

"You should teach your pet to speak when spoken to…" Talia smirked, hand darting out and grabbing a vial of pink liquid and holding it up, "…. But she is right. We need to turn him mortal."

…..

Less than a month later, night was falling across Mount Olympus.

Wally was cuddled up to Richard, hands loosely clutching at one another as they slept peacefully… unaware of the shadows creeping across the walls of Wally's room.

In the next room over, Barry and Iris were startled awake by a loud crash and the cry of two babies

"Wallace!" Iris cried out, leaping out of bed and racing towards her nephew's room, throwing open the door… only to fall back against Barry, who had followed her in.

"No…" he whispered, when he realised why his wife had practically collapsed, "… NO!"

"Wallace!" Iris sobbed, her eyes on the over-turned cradle and Richard shrieking beside it, "Wallace!"

"NO!"

…

Hearing the heart-broken cry shatter the night, Nyssa and Ta-er-al-Sahfer winced and quickened their steps.

"I can't believe we did this." Ta-er-al-Sahfer hissed, "Zeus is going to throw us into the sun!"

"Just run."

The baby started to cry as they slipped into a nearby alleyway, causing the pair to panic slightly.

"Let's just get this over with!" Ta-er-al-Sahfer exclaimed, as Nyssa pulled the potion vial out of her inside pocket and shoved it into Wally's mouth.

"Come on…" She whispered, "…. Quickly now."

The glow of Wally's skin started to fade with every drop that he drank.

"Can we kill him now?"

"No. He has to drink it all. Every last drop!"

"Who's there?!"

The pair panicked, dropping the potion vial and the baby, before disappearing into the shadows… missing the fact that one drop was still left in the vial, hanging onto the glass for a few moments before it fell to the ground, quickly absorbed by the dirt.

Watching from the shadows, they saw a stern-looking man emerge from around the corner, torch landing on Wally instantly.

"Honey!" The man yelled, "Honey, come here!"

A woman emerged from around the corner, her face lighting up at the sight of the crying baby, "Oh you poor thing!" she cooed, lifting Wally into her arms, as her husband searched for anybody nearby.

But there was nobody.

Nyssa and Tal-er-al-Sahfer were already long gone, believing that Wallace was now mortal. Living life as a mortal was as good a death sentence anyway.

Persephone was never going to notice one soul not making it into the Underworld.

…

It was tragic.

Barry and Iris begged Zeus to lead the Gods on a frantic search for the new-born, but by the time they found Wally, it was too late.

Wallace was mortal now.

But since he did not drink the last drop, he still retained his God-like speed.

Iris wept the night he was found, knowing that, despite trying to save her nephew from his old life, she would still have to watch him grow up from afar.

Even though Persephone's horrid plan took place before Wally's first tooth, the baby grew faster every day.

Which wasn't always a good thing.


	2. Chapter 2

"Wally! Wally!"

Wally wasn't listening as he pushed the car forwards, the broken-down wreck looking like nothing more than a streak of colour as it sped down the highway. Less than five seconds later, when they reached small deserted area near the centre of the town, Wally came to a screeching halt.

"You know…" Jay emerged from the car, helping his shell-shocked wife Joan, out of the car, "… when I said that we desperately needed to get to this appointment on time, I didn't mean push the car after it broke down. I'm sure the recovery truck would have come on time."

"But this was so much quicker!"

"It's not all about being fast Wally."

When Wally just shrugged at him, Jay rolled his eyes and smiled fondly. "Stay here…" he gently ordered, "… Don't move, don't go anywhere, not even for a second. We'll be back soon."

Just before they left, Jay turned to his adoptive son again, "Wally…. I mean it. Stay. Here."

As they walked away, Wally had every intention of staying where he was…. Until he heard the frantic, panicked sounds coming from the local coffee shop. Curiously peeking inside, he spotted a server struggling with a tray full of cups and glasses and plates, seconds away from falling and ruining everything.

"Oh, here!" He exclaimed, rushing over and helping to support the tray, "Let me help you with that!"

He heard the server sigh happily in relief, "Thank you, thank you, thank you!"

"You're welcome!"

As soon as he saw him, the server visibly panicked. "I-It's you!" he exclaimed, before twisting around and wrenching the tray out of Wally's grasp, causing her to frown.

"Ummm…. Maybe I can help you?"

"No! No! I'm fine!"

"Are you sure, I mean- "

"- Yes! Completely fine! You can be on your way!"

"But- "

"- Now!"

As the barista glared at him, Wally slowly made his way out of the store… only to get hit in the head with a frisbee, a group of boys his own age rushing over.

"Hey!" Wally bent to pick it up, "Can I play?"

"Ummmm…" The leader stuttered, "… We'd love to invite you, but… we already have seven and we want to keep it even!"

"But… seven isn't- "

Before he could finish, the frisbee was snatched out of his hands and the group all raced away, their insults not quite as quiet as they hoped.

Freak.

Loser.

Dejectedly, Wally moved to head back to the car, only to hear the teenagers yelp again.

"WATCH OUT!"

Spinning around, he saw the frisbee heading straight for him again.

This was a way he could prove himself.

"I got it! I got it!"

Jumping up, Wally managed to catch the frisbee in his hand, only to realise that he was heading straight for the coffee shop and the poor server.

It was chaos.

With the speed that Wally managed to get up to, it wasn't just the server he took out, he was propelled right into the kitchen, where all the cups and plates were kept, the fragile porcelain shattering.

The commotion caught everyone's attention as a crowd gathered around the shop, including his adoptive parents, who had only just made their way back to the car.

"THAT IS IT!" The owner cried out, dragging Wally out of the store and throwing him to the ground, "THIS IS THE LAST STRAW GARRICK!"

"That boy is a menace!"

"He's too dangerous to be around normal people!"

Every word cut deep and Wally shrank back, closing his eyes so that he didn't have to look at anyone.

"He didn't mean any harm." Jay desperately tried to explain, "He's just a kid who… can't control his speed."

"I'm warning you Garrick! You keep that-that-that freak away from here!"

Wally flushed bright red in embarrassment, ducking his head as everyone agreed.

"Come on." Joan whispered in his ear, "Let's go home."

….

Wally didn't know how long he'd been sitting on this bench, staring out at the horizon… long enough for Jay to come out looking for him.

"Wally…" Jay sighed, "… You really shouldn't let the words they said back there get to you."

"But they're right!" Wally shot to his feet, "I am a freak! I try to fit in, I really do… but I can't." He sighed wearily, "Sometimes- sometimes I feel like I don't belong here… like I'm meant to be somewhere else."

Slowly, Hay made his way over and placed a hand on his shoulder. "Wally, son- "

"- I know." Wally pulled away, "It doesn't make any sense."

Running away, Wally found himself on the edge of a cliff, staring out at the horizon. How often had he stood here, dreaming of a far-off place, where everyone was happy to see him, where the crowds cheered when they saw his face… where he was meant to be.

Today, more than any other day, he wanted that place to exist.

After the sun set in the sky, he raced home, only to see Jay and Joan waiting for him in the doorway.

"Wally, there's…" Jay sighed, "… there's something we've been meaning to tell you."

…..

"You found me?" Wally frowned, "So… where did I come from then?"

Joan headed over to the fireplace, picking up an ornate box and bring it over. When she opened it up, it revealed a golden medallion. "This was on you when we found you… it has the symbol of the Gods on it."

"The Gods?" Wally grabbed it and leapt to his feet, "That's it! Maybe they have the answers. The museum has an exhibit on Greek history at the moment. I'll go there and- " He paused, glancing back at Jay and Joan and wincing at the look of quiet acceptance on their faces, "- Jay. Joan… you guys are the best parents anyone could ever ask for but- but I need to know where I came from. Who I am, you know?"

Joan and Jay glanced at each other, before they smiled warmly at each other and nodded in agreement.

…..

The next morning, he was off, entering the museum just as the doors opened, instantly heading to the Greek exhibit. Led by an over-enthusiastic tour guide, the group entered a large chamber, where several statues lined the walls.

"On the right, you will see Hermes, the messenger God with his- "

Suddenly she stopped… in fact, everyone except Wally seemed to stop in their tracks. Wally zipped over to the tour guide and waved his hand in front of her eyes, frowning when she didn't even flinch.

In fact, were her eyes moving a little?

"Ummm… hello?"

Silence.

"Hello?"

Before he could say anything else, wind started to swirl around the room and the large torches that were next to the statue of Hermes suddenly lit up.

And the statue's eyes seemed to light up as well, fixing on a slightly stunned Wally.

"Wally?"

Wally wasn't ashamed to admit that he squealed a little bit as a giant stone hand reached out for him, much faster than he was able to get away. Gently, the hand grabbed him and lifted him into the air, until he was level with the statues face.

"WOW, IS THAT ANYWAY TO SAY HELLO TO YOUR UNCLE?"

Wally felt his jaw drop slightly, "U-Uncle?"

"YOU DOUBT ME?"

Wally was still in shock.

"LOOK HOW YOU'VE GROWN…" The statue examined Wally from head to toe, "… YOU LOOK SO MUCH LIKE IRIS."

"Wait, wait…" Wally frowned, "… if you're my Uncle, does that make me a God?"

"NO…. WELL YES AND NO."

"A God… a God!"

"YOU WANTED ANSWERS, AND I THINK YOU'RE OLD ENOUGH TO KNOW THE TRUTH."

"So… what about my parents? And you? Didn't you want me?" Wally didn't really want to know the answer, but he had to ask.

"So, why did you leave me on Earth… didn't you want me?" Thor didn't really want to know the answer… just in case it was the wrong one.

"YOUR PARENTS COULDN'T LOOK AFTER YOU… AND YOUR AUNT AND I LOVED YOU DEARLY. BUT SOMEONE STOLE YOU FROM US AND TURNED YOU MORTAL! AND ONLY GODS CAN LIVE ON OLYMPICS."

"So… there's nothing you can do?"

"I CAN'T DO ANYTHING, NO, BUT YOU CAN!"

"Really?!" Wally was practically vibrating in excitement "What is it? I'll do anything!"

"WALLY, IF YOU CAN PROVE YOURSELF TO BE A TRUE HERO ON EARTH, THEN YOUR GOD-HOOD WILL BE RESTORED."

"A true hero!" Wally then frowned, "How do I do that?"

"FIND THE YOUNG JUSTICE TEAM. THEY'LL HELP."

"…Who?" Wally waved his hands, "Never mind, I'll figure that out later."

The statue seemed amused by this, before shaking his head. "USUALLY BY THIS POINT, I'D BRING OUT A SIDEKICK, BUT HONESTLY WE DON'T HAVE ONE TO HAND. MAYBE IN THE FUTURE."

"Right…" Wally frowned, "… find the Young Justice team, become a hero and then I can join you on Mount Olympus."

"GOOD LUCK, AND MAY THE SPEEDFORCE BE WITH YOU."

"You're a Star Wars nerd?"

"OF COURSE."

Wally straightened up, a beam on his face, "I won't let you down… Uncle."

"I KNOW."

The fires went out and the statue was inanimate once more, as a blur left the museum.


	3. Chapter 3

"Well this is… weird."

Wally had zipped around these mountains almost ten times now, and there was nothing. No signs of life anywhere.

"Young Justice headquarters!" He tried calling out, "Oh Young Justice headquarters?!"

Unsurprisingly, there was no reply.

Sighing, he leaned against a nearby rock, only to yelp when it suddenly sunk inwards, the rumbling of something opening nearby echoing through the area.

Wally was inside in seconds…. Where he ran right into, what felt like, a brick wall. Before he could even think about getting away, a giant hand grabbed him around the back of the neck, stopping him in his tracks.

"You're not meant to be in here." A tall teen, probably around his own age, scowled down at him, "How did you get in?"

"I just…. Ran in." Wally realised his feet weren't even touching the ground at this point.

"And now you're going to be thrown back out." The teen started to head back to the exit, not even seeming to realise that Wally was struggling.

"I'm looking for the Young Justice team!"

"Good for you."

"They need to train me!" They were only a few steps away from the exit, "Hermes sent me!"

The other teen stopped, lifting him up until they were eye to eye, "What did you just say?"

"Hermes sent me? To be trained?"

The other teen examined him for a few moments, before placing him on the ground again.

"Yeah!" Wally nodded, pleased at the way things seemed to be turning out, "Apparently, I need to be a true hero, before I can become a God, and apparently you guys are the best ones to turn to, and I know I've been a bit intrusive- "

"- Please slow down." The other teen winced, "I'm fast, but not that fast."

At Wally's look of confusion, the other teen sighed. "I'm Connor, son of… Zeus."

"So… you're going to help me?"

Connor still looked uncertain, glancing behind him. "I have to speak to the others."

….

Wally hated waiting, running around the small room Connor had put him in again and again and again.

After what seemed like days (but was probably only a couple of hours), the door re-opened and Wally was face to face with a whole group of teenagers around his own age, staring right back at him.

"We've come to a decision." A younger teen wearing a black mask stepped forwards, "You can join us on a provisional basis, and if your training goes well- "

"- Did you just use the word provisional?" Wally interrupted, "Aren't you like… twelve?"

"… I'm fifteen." The teen growled, before audibly taking a deep breath, "Do you want to train with us or not?"

"YESYESYESYESYESYESYESYESYESYES!"

"Alright! Alright!"

…..

It was a rough start, no-one was going to deny that.

A lot of walls were ran into during those first few weeks.

("Stop making them appear right in front of me! Of course I ran into it!"

"Pity your brain isn't as fast as your feet!")

There was some resistance to the normal exercise routines.

("Aerobics… really?"

"It'll help! We promise!")

And then there were the exercises that we just plain rejected.

("No way!"

"Egg on a spoon, in your mouth as you go along a tightrope… the perfect balancing act!")

And rescuing the damsel in distress was… an interesting experience.

("You need to slow down, otherwise this will happen!"

"Most girls' arms don't fall off like that!")

All the rules started to get confusing after a while

("Rule number ninety-five! Concentr- AAH!"

"… Sorry!"

"Rule number ninety-six! AIM!")

However, despite all the setbacks, Wally eventually managed to get the hang of everything, using his speed to pass the final test with flying colours.

"Yes!" Wally whooped, dropping the hostage and high-fiving Speedy (Ward of Artemis), "Did you see that? Next stop, OLYMPUS!" He zipped around the others, a cocky smirk on his face, "I am so ready to get out of here! Fight some bad guys, rescue some damsels and all that!"

There was a brief moment of silence, as everyone turned to Jason (An adopted son of Hades), who was already nodding eagerly.

"Yeah, let's get out there!"

…

"Central City…. We're seriously going to Central City?" Wally pouted, "What about Gotham? Surely that's more of a challenge?"

"You are so not ready for Gotham." Jason cackled, "Gotham would eat you up and spit you out."

"Besides, isn't this your city?" Connor asked, "Shouldn't you be excited to come back here?"

"Not… really?"

"You'd better think of a good name for yourself." Roy muttered, "Something catchy."

"Well I'd use Speedy, but- "

Wally yelped as he was slapped around the back of his head.

"- Speedy is a terrible name for a speedster. Too obvious."

"I- " Wally shrugged, "- I don't have to think of it right now, do I?"

The others all stared at him, before Jason eventually shook his head. "How can you move so fast, but think so slow?"

"Hey!"

As they headed into the main area of the city, Wally suddenly heard something as they passed an alleyway.

It sounded like a fight.

Without saying a word to the others, he zipped off in that direction, heading towards the source. Stopping just before a corner, he peered around it, frowning at the sight of a huge, beast of a man, wearing a mask, pinning a shorter man against the wall, not even seeming to notice that he was being kicked in the process.

At least, not until the shorter man kicked him right in the nether regions, which did make him flinch… slightly.

Not enough for him to let the other man go though.

"Oh, come on!" The pinned man groaned, "Seriously?"

Unwilling to wait any longer, Wally darted out and whistled to catch the larger man's attention. "Hey! You!"

The larger man twisted around to face him, a sneer on his face. "This does not concern you. Now leave."

"No way!"

"Please!" This time it was the young man pinned against the wall who spoke, "I don't want you to get hurt, so please just go! I can handle this!"

"I'm not just leaving you here!"

"Go!"

Before Wally could say anything, the large man suddenly lunged for him and tried to punch him in the face… only for Wally to dodge.

"Missed me!" Wally chirped, before spinning around the man, creating a small tornado and sending the man flying into the opposite wall.

With the other man momentarily stunned, Wally turned his attention to the other man, taking in the mask on his face.

Another hero maybe?

Before he could ask, there was a growl from the right as the large man decided he wanted to go another round.

"Excuse me…" Wally sighed, "… Back in a flash."

Ha.

Alright… maybe he was showing off a little.

"Go on!" He heard Roy call from the side-lines, the group having followed him into the alleyway, "Kick his ass!"

Needless to say, the fight didn't last much longer, the large man falling to the ground in an unconscious slump.

"So, how was that?" Wally beamed at them, as they all clapped. He then turned to look at the stranger… who was gone. "Did you guys see where the guy I rescued went?"

"What guy?"

"The hot one! Blue and black uniform, a mask… the hot one!"

"Wally… we only saw you and Bane."

"But I- " Wally frowned glanced around, "- He was here. I saw him."

It was clear that they didn't believe him, glancing at each other in concern, before Connor shook his head, "Come on." He sighed, "You want to be a true hero, right?"

"Yeah… okay."


End file.
